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Authorities: 5 hikers killed by Colo. rock slide

The Associated Press
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Brandon Wilkins tells a driver Monday Sept. 30, 2013, that the road is closed to all non-emergency traffic while emergency response and law enforcement agencies deal with a rock slide at Agnes Vaille Falls. Authorities say five hikers have been trapped by a rock slide on the trail in south-central Colorado, and another has been pulled out and flown to a hospital. (AP Photo/The Mountain Mail, James Redmond)
AP | The Mountain Mail

SALIDA, Colo. — Five hikers were killed by a rock slide on a trail in south-central Colorado on Monday, and another was pulled out with injuries and flown to a hospital, authorities said.

The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the deaths and said recovery would wait until Tuesday to make sure the area is safe.

The slide occurred at about 11 a.m. on the trail to Agnes Vaille falls in the Pike and San Isabel National Forest, an easy day hike about a 2 1/2 hour drive southwest of Denver.



A 13-year-old girl who survived the slide was flown to a hospital in Denver for treatment. The names and hometowns of the hikers haven’t been released. Rescuers from at least five agencies were working at the scene Monday afternoon.

The trail is below Mount Princeton, a 14,197-foot peak. The National Forest Service describes the trail as short and relatively easy.


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